


Blood is Thicker Than Water {but it tastes bitter}

by Kelly_Namikaze



Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: (Cynthia), Alternate Universe - Twins, Angst, Character Development, Childhood Trauma, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Mostly the CC Characters, Multi, Only one OC is important, like a lot of it, the others are side characters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-05
Updated: 2019-08-17
Packaged: 2020-06-09 17:04:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19480261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kelly_Namikaze/pseuds/Kelly_Namikaze
Summary: To Cynthia, blood meant pain and suffering, being tied to someone you hated because they created you. It meant captivity, even from beyond the grave. So suddenly finding out she has a brother?Yeah. No.(Or, how Cloud fucked up, and gets punched because of it.)





	1. Chapter 1

I took a deep breath, closing my eyes as the time ticked down. My body was tense, ready for action. 

Three.

Two.

One.

My eyes shot open, and I brought up the standard issue blaster as I mowed down each and every target with precision.

I could feel my heart in my chest, beating a million miles an hour. What felt like seconds had actually been a full minute, as the buzzer went off again. Taking another deep breath, I relaxed, and looked over to the evaluating SOLDIER.

He looked surprised, but hid it well, motioning for me to make room for the next person to try. I step off to the side, knowing already that I passed. Sitting down in the shade, I heard a voice call out.

“Hey! Cusabaka!” A dark haired male calls out to me as he comes closer. It takes me a minute to remember him, but I quickly connect him to the name Fair. A guy who introduced himself to me while we were waiting for the exam to start up. He was far too cheery for that early in the morning. Though, it is better than  _ him _ .

I nodded at him as he took a seat beside me. He gave me a large smile as he looked out onto the field where people were beginning to break for lunch. “I don’t know how you wear long sleeves when it’s this hot out. Aren’t you dying in there?” I grunted at him. You could say my people skills need work.

He seemed content to carry the conversation as I drank from my water bottle. “Aren’t you a little young to be taking the SOLDIER exam anyway? What are you, nine?” I glared at him. “Aww, that’s adorable, give it a few years, and it might even scare people!”

“I’m eleven.” I growl, and he stares at me like I lied.

He whistles. “Man, that’s incredible. You’re easily the best one in the place too. I guess you’ll be right on up to first class quickly then, eh?” Turning towards me, he gave me a long look. “Why’d you come here anyway?”

I admired his persistence at trying to befriend someone who clearly didn’t want to talk. “My Father. I would’ve been signed up for this at seven if he had it his way.” I side eye him. “Why are you here?”

His grin turned into a beaming smile. “I want to become a hero!” I snorted, and he glared at me. “Hey! What’s so wrong with that!”

“Nothing.” I assured him. “It’s a perfectly fine dream. But why try to fulfill it in a private military? You’re not working for the government, and you’ll do things that you really don’t want to.” 

“Aren’t you just a ball of sunshine.” He mumbled to himself, just loud enough for me to hear.

I chuckle to myself. Yeah, Considering I had covered myself head to toe in black, from my combat boots to my scarf that covered my nose, I was the  _ pinnacle _ of light. All that I could count was the small amount of blonde coming in from my roots, the rest a dark navy blue.

Fair must have heard it, because he lit up again. “Wow, I thought you couldn’t laugh! Glad to see that’s not the case.” He patted me on the back, and I flinched away slightly at the contact. 

I don’t think he noticed because he continued talking as if it hadn’t happened.

“So we never exchanged full names. I’m Zack Fair, from Gongaga. Nice to meet ‘cha.” He held out his hand.

I looked at his hand and debated just turning away. But something drew me to him, his warmth already chipping away at me. My hand slowly grasped his, shaking it. “Cyn Cusabaka. Nibe… Midgar.”

His grin made my own face twist into an awkward smile. Suddenly, he looked down to his wrist and groaned loudly. He let go of my hand, and my smile slipped from my face, going back to familiar blankness.

“Oh shit, I have my close combat test in five! I gotta go, stick around after we can hang out!” He exclaimed, turning towards the sparring arena and taking off, throwing a wave over his shoulder as he went.

Knowing that all I had left was the written exam, I made my way over to where a tent was set up with desks underneath. 

~~~~~~~~

Zack sped through the paperwork, hoping that the kid he had talked to earlier was still around when he was done. Apparently it was more paperwork if you were under the age of fifteen, because of labour laws. He scoffed, if the age of consent was thirteen, why was labour any different?

He jogged to the entrance of the field, hoping to find the blue haired boy somewhere around. Not paying attention to where he was going, the dark haired male almost ran over someone sitting on the steps to the entrance. Frowning, he opened his mouth to warn them about sitting in doorways when he realized three things.

One. They were asleep against the wall.

Two. They were adorable.

Three. It was Cyn.

He smiled down at the young boy whose constant scowl softened some with sleep. Smirking, the thirteen year old boy shook Cyn awake.

Suddenly, Cyn moved and he was acquainted with the ground.

~~~~~~~~

I woke up to the sound of someone groaning.

Opening my eyes, a black mass with… limbs? Sticking out. I stood up, taking a step forward, inspecting it. Quickly recognizing the mass as Fair, it was easy to see what happened. My eyes slid shut as I pinched my nose. This was why I didn’t talk to other people. 

Sighing, I went over to him and offered him my hand. It took him a second to notice, but he grabbed it, and I pulled him up, his weight not even registering. Now standing, I took the chance to give him a once-over, just to make sure he wasn’t truly injured. “Sorry about that, I don’t startle well.”

“Yeah,” He noted, rotating his left shoulder, presumably to get out stiffness. “No kidding. It’s cool though, just know to not wake you up like that in the future. Now.” He clapped his hands together, and he grinned at me. 

“Have you ever ridden a motorcycle?”

~~~~~~~~

I waved Cyn off as he disappeared into his house, my smile dropping as the door closed. Rubbing my forehead, I mounted my bike once more.

As I pulled onto the highway, my mind went back to the dark haired kid. It was weird, Cyn was only eleven, yet he acted wise beyond his years. He was so serious, and the only thing Cyn did that was remotely childlike was his amazement at the bike. (He may have showed off a little while riding around, trying to make the kid laugh.) And then there was the way he flinched away from me when I patted him on the back.

My face darkened at the implications. It would explain why Cyn was so good, and why he was so jumpy as well. I knew there was no real way to prove it, but it was the most logical.

I’d protect him.

~~~~~~~

I sighed and slumped against the door as soon as it was closed. Today had been taxing, not physically or even mentally, but emotionally. Trying to hide my aversion to human contact was hard, but I managed.

Zack made it easy though, with how kind he was. It was an honest kindness too, no ulterior motives behind it. He brought me to a restaurant, buying dinner. When I protested, he simply waved me off.  _ (Wait until you’re actually making money to spend it. I have some stuff saved up.)  _ He took me around Midgar, and it was the most I had ever seen of the city.

He insisted on driving me to my house, and something in me warmed. Here I was, eleven years old and already able to do more than the average adult, but he was still nice enough to be concerned.

Standing from my position on the ground, I made my way to the couch, ready for some sleep. As soon as my head met the armrest, I was out.

Soon enough I was startled awake by my alarm clock, the fading voice from my dreams still haunting me.

“You useless child! I can’t believe you can’t even do such a simple task!” It yelled at me, and I shuddered as I pushed it as far as I could out of my mind as I got ready for the day.

Today was results and being split into groups. The people you got grouped with normally stayed with you until second class, which could be a long time for some people. My goal was first class by fifteen, but that wasn’t the point. 

Leaving the house, I quickly navigated through sector six, to the upper plate to the Shinra main building. I was quickly directed to a training yard, and I made my way over, looking out for Zack. Even knowing it was a slim chance, I hoped that Zack would be part of my group.

I looked around for his black mop of spikes, not seeing it in the people already there. SIghing, I went to stand on the outskirts of the growing group of recruits. I thought I was fairly unnoticeable, but there’s always a bully.

“Hey pint-sized!” One of the tall ones, at least six and a half feet, stepped in front of me, crossing his arms in one of  _ the  _ most macho stances I had ever seen. “This is for SOLDIER recruits, not toddlers.” The others paying attention laughed with him.

At four foot six (and a half), I craned my neck up at him. “I am quite capable of putting that together. If you’ll recall, I was at the exams yesterday. I’m aware this is difficult for you to understand, but do try.” I looked impassively at him as his face grew red from embarrassment.

“Oh yeah?” He questioned, and stepped closer so he was now in my personal space. “It’s not like you’d have passed them anyways, pipsqueak.”

My eyes narrowed at the bulky man, obviously older than me by almost a decade. I could feel the rage build the longer he spoke and I had to forcibly shove it back. “Well, even if I do fail, my grade will still probably be better than yours. You’re what? Twenty? This probably isn’t your first time taking it, hell, it probably isn’t even your second time. So, asshole, why don’t you take your ego somewhere else, because I’m losing braincells being in the same vicinity as it.”

His face was a deep red, and I turned away, moving to leave when I saw a fist coming my direction. I leaned to my right, letting it pass me by, and while he left it outstretched, I grabbed his fist. Vaguely I thought I heard Zacks voice from the other end of the field.

I looked over at him. “There are two roads to take here. One, I let go and you walk away, no problem. Two, you continue being an unbearable asshole and I break your arm. Trust me, you wanna pick option one.” My voice was calm, as if talking about the weather, the rage in me boiling.

He grunted. “Like I’d lose to you!” I rolled my eyes at his bravado, and slammed my elbow into his forearm, the audible snap calming me somewhat.

He began to whimper, and I let go of his arm. “See what happens when you don’t listen?”

“Cusabaka! Wilson! What is going on!” One of the supervisors had come over, and came to stand in between us. When neither of us spoke, his scowl deepened, and he looked over to Wilson. “Well? Why is your arm broken?”

Wilson took a deep breath before speaking. “That little brat broke my arm!” He exclaimed, and I had to take a moment to calm down. I could swear that man could be  _ Phillips _ brother.

“That true Cusabaka?” The supervisor asked and I nodded. “Why?”

“He attacked first, sir.” I told him. A hand dropped onto my shoulder, and I barely restrained my flinch.

“He’s right, I saw the whole thing.” I looked behind me to see Zack standing there, a displeased look on his face.

_ He? _

The supervisor looked unimpressed, turning back to Wilson. “Don’t pick fights. This is your only warning. You can go to medical once you’ve gotten assigned.” With that, he turned back to where he came from.

Wilson grumbled, walking away from me with a dark look on his face. I ignored him, turning towards Zack. “I appreciate the assistance.”

He sighed, scratching the side of his head. “Why can’t you just talk like a normal kid?” I shrugged, and he reached to ruffle my hair. Even though I had been growing it out, it was barely chin length. 

I dodged his hand, swatting it. Thankfully, I was stopped from having to converse with him further when a second class stepped forward.

“Alright everyone! I’m going to read out the names of everyone accepted into the SOLDIER program.”

“Anderson.” A fifteen year old boy with brown hair punches the air.

“Cusabaka.” I let out a deep breath, relieved. Zack let out a cheer beside me, and I gave him a glare. After that I tuned out, closing my eyes as names were called.

“Fair.” Said teen began shaking my shoulder in excitement. Looking at his face I couldn’t make a mean comment, but batted his hand away.

“Congrats.” We stood quietly until he was done, where he folded up the paper he was reading from.

“Wonderful, anyone not on the list kindly get the hell out.” He said, and I smiled when Wilson left, still glaring at me. “Okay, team assignments. These people will be going on the same missions as you, and if you’re living in the barracks, you’ll be living together. Only until second class, but even still, try to get along, the paperwork for a transfer is an absolute nightmare.”

I snorted, if one thing was going to hold me back from first class, it was my hate of paperwork. We were quickly herded over to a table where five second class’s stood.

The first one called out three names that I didn’t recognize, and three recruits came to stand in front of him. Similar things happened for two and three.

“Fair, Anderson, Cusabaka, you’re with me.” We stepped in front of him, and he looked us over. “Guess I got the young ones of the bunch. Look, all I’m here to do is make sure you know your way around, can file your reports correctly, and fight half decently. If there are any disagreements, I don’t care, keep it professional.” When we nodded, he clapped his hands together. “Great, are you three all moving into the barracks?”

All three of us nodded again. “Okay, I’ll give you a tour, and get you your keycards.” He turned and started walking, Anderson and I following immediately.

A few seconds later I heard Zack yell out. “Hey!” He cried, catching up with us rather quickly. “Why didn’t you tell me that we were going?” I smirked at his question.

“I didn’t realise that you needed me to hold your hand. Aren’t you older than me?” I asked, and watched as he spluttered.

“Yeah, well, I,” He huffed before composing himself. “You know, you’re a real brat.”

“Takes on to know one.”

“Why you little!”

~~~~~~

I relaxed into the mattress, the sounds of the shower turning off. Apparently the barracks didn’t care if you were female, you bunked with your group. It didn’t matter to me, though it probably would make Zack confused if he ever figured out I was a girl. The teen had referred to me as male multiple times throughout the day, but I didn’t feel the need to correct him, it would be more entertaining when he found out.

“Cyn?” I looked over to see Zack standing there with still damp hair. “You want the shower?” I nodded, getting off of my bed, grabbing a towel before walking into the bathroom. The water was lukewarm, quickly turning cold, and I scowled as I stepped out.

Walking back into the room fully dressed in a pair of sweats and t-shirt that was a tad too big for me, I glared at Zack, who was smiling smugly. “You could have warned me that you like to use up all the hot water.”

He shrugged at me. “Payback for this morning.” I rolled my eyes, going to lay down. “Cyn?” I stopped, looking back at him. “Sleep well.”

I grunted back at him, not knowing how to handle the tone shift. I nodded to Anderson, who had told us that his first name was Aron, and laid down, closing my eyes. I waited until I could hear the sounds of both of them fall into the realm of unconsciousness before I allowed myself to follow them.

~~~~~~

The next few weeks were calm, training preventing anyone from hanging out afterward, which was fine. I wasn’t truly interested in getting close to anyone, except Zack, and to a lesser extent, Anderson.

Forced to share living quarters, bonding was going to happen. Zack, the ball of energy that he was, pulled Aron in quickly, the two of them more similar than I thought. 

Aron had figured out within the first week that I was female, Zack still oblivious. It wasn’t like I was trying to hide it, but I didn’t advertise it either. Zack was just so unobservant, amusing both Aron and I, so we let him continue to think I was male.

One morning, about two months after the exam, I was woken by someone grabbing my blankets and pulling me straight off the bed. I didn’t even open my eyes, already knowing the culprit. “Zack, I’m going to end you if you cannot give me a good reason for waking me this way in the next thirty seconds.” I stated calmly. Aron and I had bonded slightly, but we were far from familiar enough for this kind of thing.

When the dark haired male stayed silent, I opened one of my eyes, glaring at him. “One.”

He held up his hands. “Today we’re being overseen by a first class?” It came out as a question and Aron laughed at him from his bed. “Oh like you wanted to wake him up.”

“I know when to pick my battles, and none of them are with him.” The brown hair teen stated. “But really Cyn, you should get up. I heard Sephiroth is the first class coming today, and you’ve heard how he’s a perfectionist.”

I rolled my eyes, but stood up. Walking past Zack, I smacked the side of his head. “Idiot. Didn’t you learn your lesson last time?”

“Last time?” I smiled as Zack spluttered when the bathroom door shut behind me.


	2. Enter: The Silver General

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cyn could say with absolute certainty that whoever was in charge up top hated her. Why else would the top SOLDIER in ShinRa insist on her as a protégé?

I cracked my neck as I stretched, getting ready for the sparring portion of that days training. As advertised, Sephiroth was overseeing it, giving out orders to the infantry men. He was pretty ruthless, but only to the ones who were slacking.

We were ordered to pair up, and I immediately looked for Zack, but he had joined with Anderson. I looked around, but pretty much everyone had paired up, and I sighed.

“Pardon me.” A deep voice spoke from behind me, and I whirled around, as I hadn’t heard their approach, to stop in surprise. Sephiroth stood there, a small smirk on his face. “Do you require an opponent?”

My thought process ground to a halt for a moment, before instinct kicked my mind back into gear. “Yes sir.”

His smirk widened, and he turned around, addressing the others. “Remember, this spar is hand to hand only, and preferably no permanent injury, then I’ll have to do the paperwork and it’s a pain.” When they stood there, he raised an eyebrow. “Well?”

They scurried into action, and the silver haired male turned back towards me. It took me a second to realize what was happening.

He wanted me to spar with him.

He tilted his head. “Are you ready?” His question made me angry.

“Oh yeah I’m always ready to fight the best fighter this side of the planet.” I told him sarcastically, getting into my fighting stance. I froze as I realized what I had just said, bracing myself for the hit, when a low chuckle came instead.

“I’m certain. Does the count of three work for you?” He asked, and I nodded, sighing in relief internally.

“Three.” I shook off my thoughts, slipping into the mindset required for fighting.

“Two.” Aiming for the win was stupid, so all I wanted was one hit.

“One.” Just one.

Before I was able to even come up with a strategy, he was already coming at me, akin to a silver blur. I barely managed to move out of the way of his haymaker aimed straight at my nose, using my short height to my advantage.

I tried to catch him in the back with a kick, only for him to grab my leg, and toss me to the ground. Narrowing my eyes in anger, I looked up to see him standing there, unaffected.

“Well?” He asked, and I growled. “I thought you were the best fighter in this group, I suppose I was mistaken.”

Pushing myself up, I rushed at him, rage invading my senses. The way he easily deflected all of my attempts only increased my anger, and even as I lost steam, I kept up the assault.

When he seemed to let his mind wander, I took the opening, sliding underneath his legs, grabbing a fistfull of his hair as I went. He grunted in pain, his body bending backwards. I righted myself quickly, and caught him in the shoulder with my elbow.

And that’s where everything went wrong.

His smile was suddenly much more sinister, and I spent the rest of the time for sparring getting the piss beat out of me, and  _ maybe  _ you could say that I deserved that.

I groaned, laying flat on my back. It was the worst I had felt since Phillip died. I could hear Sephiroth call out break, before a shadow fell over me. Opening my eyes, teal eyes stared down at me, and it took a moment to realize he was he was holding his hand out to help me up. I readily took it, and he pulled me upright.

“That was impressive, for an infantryman.” He said, and I scoffed. “Oh? Do you disagree?” 

“I spent fifteen minutes getting the shit kicked out of me, sir. I wouldn’t call that impressive.” He looked ready to respond, before Zack came running up. I readily took the distraction, even as I saw the older teen’s eye twitch at being interrupted. “How’d you _ fair _ with Aron?”

I smirked at the dark haired teens groan. “That one was just bad, Cyn. I did better than you though, obviously. It was close, but I managed to get him down.”

“You’ll both be insufferable about it for the next little while no doubt.” Seeing Zack open his mouth, I had to hold back a laugh as the tallest of us cleared his throat, causing Zack to clamp up.

“Regardless, I do believe that you could benefit from some training.” I took in the silver haired teen, and shook my head.

“Thanks, but no thanks.” At his raised eyebrow, I elaborated. “I appreciate the offer, but I can handle myself.”

Zack suddenly grabbed my arm. “Sorry, I’ll bring him right back.” Sephiroth narrowed his eyes in confusion as I was dragged out of hearing range. Zack put his hands on my shoulders and I scowled at him. “You should really think about this. Personally, I’m not his biggest fan, but this could be huge for you.”

I looked him straight in the eyes. “Do you think I don’t know that? I know that this could boost me through the ranks, but not only is that cheating, I-” I cut myself off. _ I can’t handle a repeat of Phillip, especially if he’s that strong. _ “I can’t.”

He looked at me for a minute, and I could tell he was trying to figure me out. Eventually though, he sighed and let me go. “Fine, but I think you’re making a mistake.”

“Maybe so, but it’s mine to make.” I told him as we made our way back to the first class. “Sorry sir, but I can’t take you up on your offer.”

“Well, I propose a wager before you say no. If you make third class at the next possible opportunity, I will back off, as you clearly have yourself handled.” He suggested, and I frowned, deciding to hear him out against my better judgement.

“And if I don’t?” I asked, watching him tilt his head.

“Isn’t it obvious? You become my apprentice.” Weighing my options, I stood there for a minute. Could I really become his apprentice if I lost? He didn’t seem like the type to make it a fair fight, so I’d have to be careful.

“Alright, you’ve got yourself a deal.” I turned and walked away, Zack trailing behind me, confused.

“Didn’t you just say that you couldn’t train with him? Why did you take the bet?” I exhaled through my nose as he ranted.

“Because I refuse to lose.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It had been two weeks since the bet with Sephiroth, and yet again, Cyn was out training late. I ran a hand through my hair as I stood beside the entrance to the training room, seeing him continue his assault on thin air.

And just like the two past weeks, ten minutes before curfew, he stopped in his tracks, panting heavily. I pushed off the doorway, walking forward. “You know, the closest exam for third class isn’t even for another month.” He glared at me, but his exhaustion made him seem much less threatening.

“Shut up, Fair.” And that. He had reverted to using last names again, though I had tried to change that.

Not that it worked.

“C’mon, it’s not like you’ll be going against him again for the exam, they just put you up against a second class.” The boy snorted.

“Yeah, like he’s gonna play by the rules. I’d put money on fighting him, or the other first class, Hewley. Neither of them would be particularly fun to deal with.” Cyn brought his hands through his hair, bringing attention to how it had grown out, showing more of his blonde roots.

Frowning, I asked. “Do you wanna get that cut?” I didn’t have anything against long hair, but he acted like he wasn’t used to it.

“I think I’ll let it grow out some more. Don’t have to dye it anymore.” He turned towards me fully. “We should probably head back. You know how they can get about curfew.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tomorrow was the first exam for third class, and I was pushing myself to the absolute limit. I had gotten permission the past week to train until midnight, as opposed to the normal ten curfew. They had been surprised at how much harder I’d been training after Sephiroth’s presence, and granted it easily.

At exactly eleven thirty, Fair came to stand in the door frame as always. For some reason, he had taken it upon himself to be a mother hen to me, hounding me for meals and sleep. It was sometimes annoying, but I couldn’t bring myself to push him away completely. He was, the first one to be nice to me since before Phillip, and I didn’t even remember anything from then. “You going to just stand there again tonight?” I grunted, using a tanto to slice apart the dummy.

“Pretty much, I like my skin just the way it is.” Rolling my eyes, I slowed down, coming to a stop.

“Yeah, well it’s not my fault that you need to have proficiency with a blade for third class. And these are good for up close and personal encounters.” I shrugged at him. “I’d say I’ve hit a decent level in a month and a half.”

Zack chuckled, which made me confused. “What?”

Shaking his head, he responded. “It’s just funny how you’re saying a decent level with a new weapon is a disappointment. Most people are still at the basic level. You do realize that training for bladed weapons started two weeks after you began, right?”

I felt a blush climb up my cheeks, and I scoffed. “Whatever.” Trying to hide it was futile however, as he saw it quite easily.

“Aww, are you blushing? That’s so cute.” He came over and put an arm around my shoulders, using a hand to ruffle my hair. I quickly pushed him away, shoving down the panic.  _ Too close too fast not safe hostilestopdefend-. _ Apparently I had been to harsh, as he hit the ground hard. “Hey! What was that for?”

I could feel it bubbling up in my throat, the bile as the memories came rushing back. “ _ Don’ttouchmedon’ttouchmedon’t- _ ” I rushed over to the garbage can, emptying the contents of my stomach into it. I stayed there as I felt Zack come stand near me, but he kept his distance.

“Are, are you okay there, Cyn?” he questioned quietly.

Taking a deep breath I responded. “Thought you learned to not ask stupid questions, Fair.”

He took a hesitant step forward. “What was that?”

“That.” I panted. “Is why I don’t want to be Sephiroth’s apprentice.” The ensuing silence was stifling, and I stood up, going over to the door. Zack followed after me, and we walked back to the barracks in quiet, which I used to compose myself.

At our room, he let me use the washroom first, where I vigorously brushed my teeth, coming out to see the dark haired teen on his bed with a deep frown on his face, presumably deep in thought. I didn’t like to see him not smiling, it felt… wrong. So when I climbed onto my bed, I tossed my pillow directly at his face.

“Stop thinking so hard Fair, I can see smoke.” I told him, and he immediately responded.

“Oh you little brat!” He whisper yelled, mindful of Anderson sleeping in the bed next to his. When he walked towards the bathroom, he tossed my pillow back at me, grumbling as I easily caught it.

Rolling over, I fell asleep easily, the physical and emotional exhaustion pulling me under.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_ A five year old girl stood in the middle of a yard, looking scared, shivering in the cold. Snow was falling, and she was in nothing but a tank top and shorts, so tattered they resembled rags. _

_ The girl had stopped crying long ago, the frozen tear tracks the only evidence left. There was the sound of a door opening, and the girl immediately turned towards the sound, her face going from sad to happy in a moment. _

_ “Daddy!” She exclaimed happily, running over. There was a man standing in the doorway of a small house, that looked like it was falling apart. _

_ It wasn’t until she got close that she stopped, seeing the expression on his face. “Daddy?” She asked, and he growled. _

“ _You piece of crap! Look at you, crying like some infant! Thought I taught you better than that!” he bellowed, and the girl flinched backwards. “You know what, you can stay outside if you’re going to be this pathetic!”_

“ _But-” The little girl was cut off when her father picked her up by her blonde hair, tossing the small child away from the house._

_ “And stay out!” The door slammed shut, the girl still in a crumpled ball. Slowly, she picked herself up, staring longingly at the door with her blue eyes. Rubbing her arms, she made her way to the side of the house, where there was shelter from the snow. _

_ Sitting down there, she curled into a ball. “Goodnight, daddy.” She whispered, the cold making her tired. When her eyes closed, she could have sworn she had seen someone walking towards her, not her father. They had black hair, and kind eyes. _

_ Not being able to fight the pull of sleep, she drifted off as someone shouted her name. _

_ “Cyn?” _

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Cyn?  _ Cyn!  _ CYN!” I blinked awake, to see someone standing close to my bed, and something nudging my shoulder. Snapping awake, I sat up, looking around the room, trying to remember where the hell I was. It took a moment before realizing that I was in the barracks, and it was just Zack poking me with the broom.

“Oh good, you’re awake.” He said, and put down the broom.

I scowled at him. “Why did you wake me up?” Looking over at the clock my face darkened. “It’s only four thirty in the morning.”

“I was getting water and saw you shaking in your sleep, and after last night, I wanted to make sure you were okay.” I tried to think as to why I’d shiver, seeing as I had brought an extra blanket when I moved in, and then I remembered my dream, wincing.

“Thanks for the concern, but I’ll be fine.” I told him, laying back down and rolling over.

He sighed like I had just disappointed him. I frowned at the thought.  _ Why do I care what he thinks? _ “That implies that you aren’t okay now.”

“Being emotionally stable is overrated. You should go to bed, I know you signed up for the exam too.” I pulled up my covers, wrapping myself up.

“Alright Cyn. Just remember that I’m here for you if you need anything.” He told me, and I grunted before closing my eyes again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I scanned the examination room as I stepped in. It seemed like a dojo, with an added rack full of weapons on the far side. Beside the rack, a teen that looked to be around Anderson’s age decked out in red leather fiddled around on a phone, typing out a message.

I wait for him to finish patiently, assuming this to be my opponent. As he finished up his text, he looked up, flipping it closed once his eyes landed on me. Walking towards me, he put his phone in a pocket.

“Cynthia Cusabaka, right?” Internally wincing at the use of my full name, I nodded. “Alright. I am Genesis Rhapsodos, first class.”

I furrowed my brows in confusion. “I thought there were only two in first class?” I asked, and I could see him bristle at the question.

“Yes, well.” He huffed. “It was a recent promotion. Now can we move on? I am to be your opponent for your exam. This fight will include all manner of combat, blades, guns, hand to hand, etcetera. You may collect one weapon from the selection provided before we begin.”

I nodded quietly, and walked over to the weapons rack, quickly moving away from the heavier selections like maces and broadswords, knowing it would work against me with my stature. Searching the smaller weapons, I found twin tanto blades, and quickly grabbed them.

He raised an eyebrow at me, speaking “That’s your choice?” He asked, and at my nod, he continued. “Wonderful.” It was then I realized he was… chewing gum?

One. He began to blow a bubble, standing there calmly.

Two. I braced myself for impact, but he just stood there.

Three. The bubble popped.

I moved first, trying to come in close enough to do some damage, only to be brushed back by the flat of his sword, as if he was dealing with an unruly child. He sighed as I attempted again. “Look kid, I’m only doing this as a favour to Sephiroth, and at the rate this is going, it’ll be years before you can even attempt this again.”

This time he put more force into his attack, throwing me into the far wall. I hit it hard, knocking the wind out of my chest. Standing slowly, I glare at him “Of course, he couldn’t be bothered to do it himself, makes sense he’d send an underling.”

I had to hide a smile as his head twitched. “What did you call me, brat?” He started to walk forward, and I forced a condescending laugh.

“Underling. Minion. Henchman. Really, anything works. Isn’t that what you are?” I asked, and his face began turning pink, walking faster.

Before he was close enough to see, I slipped the two blades up my sleeves. “He is not my boss.”

“Callboy, then?” His aborted yell of rage was music to my ears.

“I am going to beat the absolute hell out of you.” He stated, picking me up by my throat, and the height difference was suddenly  _ very _ clear. 

I took a deep breath, or as much as I could right then, and smiled at him.

“Stomach.” My foot shot into his gut, and he dropped me.

“Instep.” I landed on his foot, the leather boots easily giving way.

“Nose.” As he bent over to clutch his stomach, I put all my force into my fist, hearing a satisfying  _ crunch. _

“You little-”

“Groin.” A high pitched screech sounded, and the smile that graced my face could be considered demonic.

He slid to the ground, and I took the moment to hold my blade against his throat. The surprise in his eyes was beautiful. “Yield.”

He growled, and I only had a moment to realize what was happening before shooting straight up. Colliding with the ceiling, I quickly found myself on the ground again. Warmth was emanating from the area ahead of me, and when I looked up, Genesis was standing there, waves of heat rolling off of him. I got up as quickly as I could, and as soon as I did, he was within range, attacking me with his sword. I managed to dodge just enough that I wasn’t impaled, but it was a close thing. Parrying his strikes didn’t help much, as I was outclassed in strength, and within minutes I was littered with cuts.

He had stopped aiming for vital organs at this point, but he still had the advantage to an embarrassing degree. It was when I had left my guard open while deflecting one of his strikes that I knew it was over.

The redhead sent my knives flying, sticking into the boards a distance away. The tip of his sword was held to my throat, and he gave me a smirk.

“Yield.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zack was standing outside the barracks, presumably waiting for me as I came back, the sun just beginning to set. While the examination in total had taken just under an hour, there were some forms to fill out, and things to go over.

The dark haired teen seemed to be bouncing in place, and I felt a fond grin come over my face, even as I pushed it down. It took him a minute to catch sight of me, but rushed over as soon as he did.

“Did you win? Who’d you fight? Why are you so marked up? Are you okay? Do you need medical help?” His rapid fire questions made my head spin momentarily. That or the lunch I had skipped out on due to nervousness.

“I’m fine, just scratched up a little. And no, I didn’t make third. I ended up fighting a first class, Genesis. He’s a new one, may have pissed him off.” He gaped at me when I finished, and I huffed. “What!?”

He shook his head. “Such a weird kid, cmon, let’s get you cleaned up.” I began protesting, as he grabbed my hand, pulling me through the halls towards our room. 

His concern over the few cuts on my face made me glad I had the forethought to not wear my hoodie into the examination. I really didn’t want to deal with a meltdown.

Sitting me down, he ran into the bathroom, retrieving the first aid kit. He sat across from me, an expectant look on his face. “Well? Let me see the damage.”

“No thanks Zack, I can handle it myself.” Standing up, I swiped the medkit from him before he could protest, and entered the bathroom.

After actually looking at them, they weren’t all that bad, barely any blood, though there were a few burns. Twenty minutes later I was passably cared for, and came back into the room. Laying down, a thought struck me, and I turned towards Zack. 

“Hey,” He looked at me, and I continued. “Didn’t you have your exam today too? How did it go?”

“I was really close, but he was much better with his weapon. Pretty sure he also had fifty pounds on me too.” I let out a soft snort, and he responded with a chuckle. “There’s only two months until the next exam anyways. Next time we’ll make it for sure!” He showed me a wide grin, giving me a thumbs up.

I rolled my eyes. “You’re so cheesy, Zack. Go to bed.”

He huffed a laugh at me. “Whatever, you think I’m awesome.”

“In your dreams, maybe.” His pout was hilarious, and I smiled as I rolled over. “Goodnight Zack.”

“Night Cyn.”


End file.
